Strand handling apparatus



Sept. 8, 1936. 1 WEAVER 2,053,645

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 8, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-1- INVEN7I'OR .LVL. WEAVER A TI'ORNE) STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 8, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR L. L. WEAVER ATTORNEY Sept. 8, 1936. L, L, WEAVER 2,053,645

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 8, 1934 4 Sheecs-Sheet s /N VENTOR L. 1.. WEA VER Rmewbw A T TORNEV Sept. 8, 1936. 1 WEAVER 2,053,645

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 8, 1954 4 Sheets-Shet 4 /NVENTOI? L. L. WEAVER ari MW A TTORNE) Patented Sept.- 8, 1936 UNITED STATES STRAND HANDLIN G APPARATUS Leo L. Weaver, Cranford, N. J., assignor to Westem Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 8, 1934, Serial No. 756,611

10 Claims.

' This invention relates to strand'handling apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for twisting strands together in pairs and then twisting together two or more such intertwisted pairs.

In the communications field and particularly in the telephone art four strand compound conductor assemblies comprising two intertwisted individually intertwisted pairs of conductors are known as quads. Quads are made for specific purposes and uses having various combinations of pitch and sense in the three twists involved ina quad.

One object of the present invention is to produce an apparatus capable of producing two quads simultaneously each having a predetermined combination of the three twists, the apparatus being adjustable to produce two symmetrically like or unlike quads at will each having any desired combination as to pitch and sense of the three twists involved.

One embodiment of the invention contemplates a machine having three duplex driven flyers therein, two pairs of rotatable strand supply reels being mounted within each of two of the flyers to be revolubie or stationary as desired, and two driven take-up reels being similarly mounted within the third flyer, and the apparatus having driving means for the several rotatable and revoluble parts adjustable as to speed and direction of motion. The apparatus is thus adjustable to produce four strand quads" in which any possible combination of the pitches and directions of the three twists involved may appear, as well as three pair and four pair cables. The third flyer in addition to twisting the pairs together to form quads, either increases or decreases the twists of the individual pairs of the completed quad depending upon relative speed and direction of rotation.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a semi-diagrammatic broken side view of a quad twisting machine constructed.

twisted pairs of strands, comprising a vertical supporting frame I having struts or braces not shown, in which are rotatably mounted three duplex flyers i0, 40 and 10 each having two symmetrical operative arms H and", 4| and 42, and H and 12 respectively. These flyers are suitably journalled in the frame and are provided with driving gears I3, 43 and I3 driven by suitable gearing as shown from a main drive shaft 2 driven by a motor 3. This gearing in each case includes reverse mechanisms generally indicated at SI, 94 and 91 respectively. The gear pairs I3, 92; 43, 95 and I3, 98 are to be thought of as interchangeable for corresponding pairs of different ratios.

Two symmetrical reel support frames l4 and I5, 44 and 45, and I4 and 15 are independently rotatably mounted within each of the flyers and the left hand frames I4, 44 and 14 are provided with gears I6, 45 and I6 driven by planetary gears carried by the flyers from gears I1, 41 and 11 which in turn are driven by suitable gearing as shown from the shaft 2 via reverse clutch mechanisms I8, 48 and 18. The right hand reel support frames I5, 45 and are not directly driven but may be coupled by means of couplings I8, 49 and 19 to the left hand frames to be driven thereby in unison therewith, or if not coupled and driven may be held substantially stationary by means of the removable weights 20, 50 and 88.

Reel support frames l4 and I5, and I4 and 15 are adapted to receive and hold removably interchangeable strand supply reels to supply the strands 2|, 23, 22, 24 and 8|, 83, 82, 84 which are to be formed into the twisted pairs 29, 28, 89 and 88 and then into the two independent quads 5| and 52 which are taken up on two take-up reels 51 and 58 interchangeably and rotatably mounted in the reel support frames 44 and 45 respectively. These take-up reels are driven as shown from the gears 53, 53 by mechanism including slippable belts 54, 54, to allow for the increasing diameters of the material thereon.

Capstans 4, 6, 5, and l are mounted on the frame I opposite the inlet openings of the flyer arms 4| and 42 and are driven from the shaft 2 by suitable gearing as shown.

Guide sheaves 25 and 25, and and 86 are mounted on the frame I opposite the respective outlets of the flyer arms II and I 2, and H and 12 respectively, and other guide sheaves 21 and 81 are mounted on the frame I respectively below the sheave 25 and above the sheave 85, while other guide sheaves 55 and 58 are mounted on the frame I respectively above the capstan 4 and below the capstan 1 and still other guide sheaves 88 and 98 are located below the capstan I and above the sheave 88 respectively.

In the above description the details of the various gears, pulleys and other elements of the several drive mechanisms are not described as such mechanisms are familiar, their construction is not relevant to the present invention, and a detailed description with reference numerals would be confusing to the reader.

In one mode of operation weights 28, 58 and 88 and also couplings i9, 49 and I9 are all put in place and devices I 8, 48 and 18 are all set at neutral so that frames l4, l5 and 44, 45 and 14, 15 are locked together in pairs, disconnected from the drive and held stationary by the weights. Strands 2| and 23 are threaded through the flyer arm i2, over the sheave 26 and around the capstan 5 to the flyer arm 42. Strands 22 and 24 are threaded through the flyer arm H, over the sheave 25 and around the capstan 4 to the flyer arm 4|. Strands 8| and 83 pass through the flyer arm 12 over the sheave 86 and around the capstan I to the flyer arm 42 where they join strands 2| and 23 and the four strands together pass through the flyer arm 42 to form quad 5| on the left hand take-up reel 51, Strands 82 and 84 pass through flyer arm 1|, over sheave 85 and around capstan 8 where they join strands 22 and 24 and all four together pass through flyer arm 4| to form quad 52 on the right hand take-up reel 58.

Now assume the machine to be in motion and assume the various drives to bev such that the three duplex flyers rotate at the same speed, the two outer ones in one direction, say counterclockwise as seen from the right side while the middle flyer turns in the opposite direction. Assume also that the capstans 4, 6, 5 and I are all driven at the same speed as each other, and that the take-up reels 5'! and 58 are also driven substantially in synchronism with each other. Then strands 2| and 23 are twisted together with a left hand twist in passing through the flyer arm I2 and emerge therefrom as a twisted pair 29 over the sheave 26 with two turns of twist for each revolution of the flyer ID. The strands II and 83 likewise come out of the flyer I0 and over the sheave 86 as a twisted pair 89 with a left hand twist, and since the flyers l8 and 10 rotate at the same speed and also the capstans 5 and I draw the strands along at the same longitudinal speed the two pairs 29 and 89 are alike in twist and pitch. The flyer arm 42 is rotating in the other direction from the outer flyers, the two pairs 29 and 89 therefore emerge from the flyer arm 42 to go to the take-up reel 51 twisted together right handedly and with the same pitch of twist in the intertwisting as the pitch of each pair going into the flyer 48.

It will be noted that the resultant twist of the two wires 2| and 23 about each other in the completed quad 5| is the algebraic sum of the twists produced by the flyers l2 and 42. Since these two flyers are rotating in the opposite sense the twist produced by flyer I2 is exactly neutralized by the twist produced by flyer 42, so that the wires 2| and 23 will have a zero twist about each other in the completed quad, while the right hand twist of pair 29 about pair 89 in the quad will be the result of the action of flyer 42 only.

iected to identical treatment except for the fact that they pass longitudinally in opposite directions although at the same longitudinal speed through the respective flyers and therefore the several twists imposed are of opposite sense while of the same pitch as in the case of the first four strands considered above. Hence the pairs 28 and 88 will be given a left hand twist about each other by the action of flyer arm 4| only while the wires of each of these pairs will have zero twist about one another in the completed quad 52.

In a modification of the above mode of operation, diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2, the weights 20, 58 and 88 are removed, and the devices I8, 48, and I8 are set to drive the frames I4, 44 and 14 as also the frames i5, 45 and 15 coupled thereto all at equal speeds to each other in the opposite directions from the respective flyers within which they are located. The only change this effects is to increase the twists imposed, and the capstans and take-up drives can then be driven correspondingly faster to produce the quads or fours having the same twists and lay as before, but with increased speed of production.

In another mode of operation, diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2, the several drives of the flyers will be set to drive the flyers I8 and 18 in the same sense but with differing speeds and to drive the flyer 40 at an intermediate speed and in the opposite direction, while the several frames I4, l5 and I4, 15 and 44, 45 are driven in the opposite directions to their respective encircling flyers and at correlated speeds. The twist of the wires 2| and 23 about each other in the completed quad will be the algebraic sum of the twists produced by the rotation of the frame [4, the flyer arm i2 and the flyer arm 42, the actions of frame l4 and flyer arm l2 tending to produce twists inone direction and the action of flyer arm 42 tending to produce twists in the opposite direction. The relative speed may be such that the action of fiyer arm 42 will more than neutralize the combined action of frame I4 and flyer arm |2 resulting in producing a twist in the opposite sense thereto. The twist of wires 8| and 83 about each other in the completed quad 5| likewise will be the algebraic sum of the twists resulting from the actions of frame 14 and fiyer arm 12 tending to produce twists in one direction and the action of flyer arm 42 tending to neutralize the twist so produced. Since flyer arm 42 is operating at a slower speed than flyer arm 12 the twist produced by the action of flyer arm 12 and frame 14 will not be entirely neutralized and therefore part of this twist will remain in the wires in the completed quad. The twists of the wires of either pair may be of the same or opposite sense with respect to the wires of the other pair of the quad. As before the twist of the pairs 29 and 89 about each other in the completed quad will result from the action of flyer arm 42 only. In a corresponding manner the pair and quad twist of pairs 28 and 88 in quad 52 will correspond with the pair and quad twist of pairs 29 and 89 and quad 5| but of opposite sense respectively.

In a fourth mode of operation, the frame pairs |4,' I5 and 14, 15 and 44, 45 are interconnected as before to be locked together, and may be disconnected from their drives and held stationaryby the weights, or the latter may be removed and the frames driven in the opposite direction to their respective associated flyers as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 3. The pair 88 is now,

however, led over the sheaves 81 and 56 to join the pair 88 on the capstan I, and the pair 28 is brought over the sheaves 21 and 55 to join the pair 28 on the capstan 4. The capstans 5 and 8 are then idle. It now the flyers i 8 and 18 be driven at thesame speed and in the same direction (counterclockwise from the right) and the relative speeds of the fiyers be different, the

pitches of the quad twists will be of equal value and opposite sense to each other, and will differ from the pitches of their component pairs; while the pitches of the two pairs entering into each quad will still be of identical value and opposite sense to each other, and theidentical pitches of the pairs in one quad will differ from those in the other. However, as before the pair twists of the completed quads will be the algebraic sum of the twists resulting from the actions of frames l4, I5, I4, 15, 44 and 45 and flyers I8, 18 and 48.

In a fifth mode of operation, diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 4, the weights 28, 58 and 88 are retained in place on the frames I5, 45 and 15, while the couplings I9, 48 and 19 are removed and the clutches I8, 48 and 18 are set to drive the frames I4, 44 and 14 in the opposite direction to the rotation of their respective associated fiyers. The pairs 28 and 28 then are opposite in sense of twist and differ in pitch. The pairs 88 and 88 are opposite in sense and differ in pitch. Also, if fiyers l8 and I8 rotate in a common direction at the same speed, pairs 28 and 88 are identical in pitch and in sense as also are pairs 28 and 88; while if flyers l8 and I8 have different speeds, then no two of the four pairs 28, 28, 88 and 88 will agree in both pitch and twist. Hence the quads 5| and 52, according to which two pairs compose each, may each have two pairs of identical sense and different pitch or of opposite sense and different pitch, and in either case the intertwist of the two pairs in 5| will differ from that of 52.

In a sixth method of operation, illustrated in Fig. 6, the flyers l8 and 18 may be rotated in different directions at different speeds while flyer 48 may be rotated at a third speed and the weights 28, 58 and '88 may be placed in position to maintain the frames I5, 45 and I5 stationary and couplings I8, 48 and I8 placed in position to hold frames I4, 44 and I4 stationary also with the driving mechanisms I8, 48 and 18 set in neutral. Alternatively, as indicated in Fig. 5 the couplings may be disconnected and the frames driven at independent speeds and sense. Pairs 28 and 29 may be led into the same or different take-up flyer arms as desired and pairs 88 and 88 may be treated correspondingly. In any case the resultant pair twist of any pair in its completed quad will be the algebraic sum of the actions of its associated frames and flyers.

It will be clear from the above that a machine constructed as described can be arranged and adiusted to produce a quad having substantially any practicable desired combination of pair twists and quad twist and furthermore may be arranged to produce two such quads simultaneously which may be symmetrically alike. or totally dissimilar.

The machine may also be arranged to produce cables of six strands in three pretwisted pairs or of eight strands in four pretwisted pairs. Thus if frame 14 be left empty, and pairs 28. 28 and 88 be all brought together over the capstans 4' and 8 and through the flyer arm 4|, then cable 52 will be a six strand, three pair compound; while if pair 89 be also brought over sheaves 88 and 68, then cable 52 will be composed of eight strands in four pretwisted pairs.

The embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are illustrative only and may be widely modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit .and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limitedsolely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for handling strands comprising a first duplex rotatable flyer, a first means to support a first and a second pair of strand supplies within the first flyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the first flyer to be twisted-thereby to form a first and a second twisted pair, a second duplex rotatable flyer, a second means to support a third and a fourth pair of strand supplies within the second flyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the second flyer to be twisted thereby to form a third and a fourth twisted pair, a third duplex rotatable flyer, two take-up means within the third fiyer to receive strands respectively from each of the two arms of the flyer, and means to guide each of the four twisted pairs from the flyer arm in which the pair is formed to the third flyer.

2. An apparatus for handling strands comprising afirst duplex rotatable flyer, a first means to rotatably support a first and a second pair of strand supplies within the first flyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the first flyer to be twisted thereby to form a first and a second twisted pair, a second duplex rotatable flyer, a second means to rotatably support a third and a fourth pair of strand supplies within the second flyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the second flyer to be twisted thereby to form a third and a fourth twisted pair, a third duplex rotatable fiyer, two revoluble and rotatable takeup means within the third flyer to receive strands respectivelyfrom each of the two arms of the flyer, and means to guide each of the four twisted pairs from the flyer arm in which the pair is formed to the third flyer.

3.- An apparatus for handling strands comprising a first duplex rotatable flyer, a first means to support a first and a second pair of strand supplies within the first flyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the first flyer to be twisted thereby to form a first and a second twisted pair, a second duplex rotatable flyer, a second means to support a third and a fourth pair of strand supplies within the second flyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the second flyer to be twisted thereby to form a third and a fourth twisted pair, a third duplex rotatable flyer, two take-up meansv within the third flyer to receive strands respectively from each of the two arms of the flyer, means to guide each of the four twisted pairs from the flyer arm in which the pair is formed to the third flyer, and reversible means to drive each of the three flyers.

4. An apparatus for handling strands comprising a first duplex rotatable flyer, a first means to support a first and a second pair of strand supplies within the first flyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the first fiyer,to be twisted thereby to form a firstand a second twisted pair, a second duplex rotatable fiyer, a second means to support a third and a fourth pair of strand supplies within the second fiyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the second fiyer to be twisted thereby to form a third and a fourth twisted pair, a third duplex rotatable fiyer, two take-up means within the third fiyer to receive strands respectively from each of the two arms of the fiyer, means to guide each of the four twisted pairs from the fiyer arm in which the pair is formed to the third fiyer,

and means individually adjustable as to speed and reversible as to direction to drive each fiyer.

5. An apparatus for handling strands comprising a first duplex rotatable fiyer, a first means to rotatably support a first and a second pair of strand supplies within the first fiyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the first fiyer to be twisted thereby to form a first and a second twisted pair, a second duplex rotatable fiyer, a second means to rotatably support a third and a fourth pair of strand supplies within the second fiyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the second fiyer to he twisted thereby to form a third and a fourth twisted pair, a third duplex rotatable fiyer, two revoluble and rotatable takeup means within the third fiyer to receive strands respectively from each of the two arms of the fiyer, means to guide each of the four twisted pairs from the fiyer arm in which the pair is formed to the third fiyer, means to drive the strand supplies in rotation, reversible means to drive each of the three fiyers, and means to revolve and to rotate the take-up means.

6. An apparatus for handling strands comprising a first duplex rotatable fiyer, a first means to independently and rotatably support a first and a second pair of strand supplies within the first fiyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the first fiyer to be twisted thereby to form a first .and a second twisted pair, a second duplex rotatable fiyer, a second means to independently and rotatably support a third and a fourth pair of strand supplies within the second fiyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the second fiyer to be twisted thereby to form a third and a fourth twisted pair, a third duplex rotatable fiyer, two independently revoluble and rotatable take-up means within the third fiyer to receive strands respectively from each of the two arms of the fiyer, means to guide each of the four twisted pairs from the fiyer arm in which the pair is formed to the third fiyer, means individually adjustable as to speed and reversible as to direction to drive each fiyer, and means to drive one of the pairs of strand supplies within the first fiyer and one within the second fiyer.

7. An apparatusfor handling strands comprising a first duplex rotatable fiyer, a first means to independently and rotatably support a first and a second pair of strand supplies within the first fiyer to supply a pair of strands toeach arm of the first fiyer to be twisted thereby to form a first and a second twisted pair, a second duplex rotatable fiyer, a second means to independently and rotatably support a third and a fourth pair of strand supplies within the second fiyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the second fiyer to be twisted thereby to form a third and a fourth twisted pair, a third duplex rotatable fiyer, two independently revoluble and'rotatable take-up means within the third fiyer to receive strands respectively from each of the two arms of the fiyer, means to guide each of the four twisted pairs from the fiyer arm in which the pair is formed to the third fiyer, means individually adjustable as to speed and reversible as to direction to drive each fiyer, means to drive one of the pairs of strand supplies within the first fiyer and one within the second fiyer, and means to couple the other strand supply within the first fiyer and within the second fiyer to the respective driven supplies therein to be driven thereby.

8. An apparatus for handling strands comprising a first duplex rotatable fiyer, a first means to independently and rotatably support a first and a second pair of strand supplies within the first fiyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the first fiyer to be twisted thereby to form a first and a second twisted pair, a second duplex rotatable fiyer, a second means to independently and rotatably support a third and a fourth pair of strand supplies within the second fiyer to supply a pair of strands to each arm of the second fiyer to be twisted thereby to form a third and a fourth twisted pair, a third duplex rotatable fiyer, two independently revoluble and rotatable takeup means within the third fiyer to receive strands respectively from each of the two arms of the fiyer, means to guide each of the four twisted pairs from the fiyer arm in which the pair is formed to the third fiyer, means individually adjustable as to speed and reversible as to direction to drive each fiyer, means to drive one strand supply within the first fiyer and one within the second fiyer, and means to hold the other strand supplies stationary.

9. In a strand handling apparatus, a duplex fiyer, two strand supply supports independently rotatably mounted therein to supply strands re- 

